"ANY NIGHT OR DAY YOU FEEL LIKE CALLING... I'LL COME AROUND."
Featuring on the girls' debut album F.L.M., I'm The One Who Really Loves You was released in August 1987 as their third single in the US and Canada, (in place of the F.L.M. single). Despite there being no promotional video, the 116 BPM track still reached #11 on the US Hot Dance Club Chart, giving Mel & Kim their third chart entry in the United States.
There were plans for I'm The One Who Really Loves You to become the sister's fourth single in the UK, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and its release would have coincided with a major promotional world tour, but those plans had to be cancelled mid-flight, before the girls had landed in Japan (their first stop on the tour), due to Mel's escalating pain.
The track did, however, receive an official release in South Africa, (on the Gresham label), and the Philippines, (on the New York label).
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In preparation for its planned full-release, PWL had created a batch of in-house mixes, produced by Pete Hammond and Yoyo, and the girls' American label Atlantic Records also commissioned a slew of remixes, courtesy of Robert Clivillés – (Soon to be famed for his chart successes with Robert Cole as The C & C Music Factory) - for its US release.
Though few were aware at the time, I'm The One Who Really Loves You was actually a cover version, having originally been released by Austin Howard, in 1986 - to underwhelming chart success. Mike Stock shared, "I always liked ‘I’m The One Who Really Loves You’, but, to be honest, it’s one of those songs that we never completely nailed. I always thought it had something".
PROMOTION
Had Mel not become ill, I'm The One Who Really Loves You would have been fully promoted with an extensive tour that took in the American market. Initially, the song was released in the US, on promotional 12", followed by a full release on 7” & 12” singles on the Atlantic label, although it did not receive a release in the UK , Europe, or other territories.
Somewhat disappointingly, neither the US promo or the US official release featured a picture sleeve (although some featured a picture sticker, using the Brian Aris colour shot from the F.L.M. album), and there was no video treatment produced for the track.
There was also a limited release in Southeast Asia which housed the 4-track vinyl in a standard green and yellow industry sleeve, baring the same sticker as some of the Atlantic releases, but with the photo treated to look as if it were painted. (See bottom of this page to view the sticker!)
THE SOUND, OFFICIAL MIXES, & EDITIONS
The sound of I'm The One Who Really Loves You displays an unusual shift in style for Mel & Kim. Despite the sisters being known for having their own individual London House sound, the original Album Mix is almost an exact blue print of the original version, released by Austin Howard, back in 1986. Like Austin's version, the album mix is produced by Pete Hammond, and the sound is upbeat, but devoid of the Chicago House sound that the sisters had made their own.
On most of the F.L.M. album releases, the track solely features Mel & Kim's vocals, although the Atlantic records edition, which was released in the US and Canada. utilises the chorus of the Austin Howard recording in place of the sisters far superior vocal take, alongside what sounds to be a solo performance of the verses by one of the sisters! Other than this unexpected move, the sound production is identical on the Album Mixes across all territories.
PWL produced a number of mixes of the track, including Yoyo's Extended Mix. Yoyo's treatment starts with Mel & Kim singing the chorus in accapella, before cascading into an extended version of The Album Mix. Like the Album mix, there are no additional vocal effects sampled and used in the production.
The Robert Clivillés mixes, which were commissioned by Atlantic Records for an American release, provided a slew of lighter/fresher sounding treatments. The Stardom Groove Club Mix (referred to as the U.S. Remix on the original That's The Way It Is 12” release) freshens up the track with completely re-recorded instrumentation, and the overall effect is a lighter and fresher pop sound, unlike the original Album Mix, which has an almost retro sounding quality. The Stardom Groove Club Mix features a variety of vocal samples from the girls' vocals, although these sound very organised and safe in comparison to the irresistibly chaotic, freer sampling of Phil Harding & Pete Hammond.
The Stardom Dub maintains the sound of the club mix but loses all of the verse vocals. The sisters chorus vocals and backing vocals are included, alongside sampled vocal effects from their recorded lyrics.
The Kick N Live Mix (confusingly also referred to as the U.S. Remix, this time on the That's The Way It Is - House Remix 12” release) is very similar in style to The Stardom Groove mixes, taking the sound of the Club Mix and the vocal effects from the Dub mix, and mashing these together to produce a funkier treatment.
The Done Properly Dub uses little of the sung lyrics, but ramps up the vocal effects from The Kick N Live Mix, using much of its instrumentation.
The promotional 12" and commercially released 7” singles, both feature The Pop Radio Mix, although this mix is simply an edited version of The Stardom Groove Club Mix. The Pop Radio Mix, which features on the 7"single, fades at 2.55, after the instrumental break, whereas The Pop Radio Mix which features on the promotional 12" single, continues on to end at 3.46.
The 7" single is backed with The Hip Hop Radio Mix of the track, which is an alternative edit of The Stardom Groove Mix, and ends in acapella.
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The 2019 Singles Box Set, released by Cherry Red, included some unreleased mixes of I'm The One Who Really Loves You including: the Chicago Club Mix, Chicago Dubstramental and the Chicago Radio Mix, alongside the Instrumental, and this addition was treated to its own sleeve design, with images by Peter Ashworth.
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Reflecting on the external remixes of I'm The One Who Really Loves You, Kim recalled, "With the remixes... a lot of them, we didn't get to hear, and we didn't know they existed until we got a vinyl copy. It wasn't like the remixes were ran past us, like they would be with me now. The mixes just appeared! At that time, their names (Clivillés & Cole) didn't mean anything. They were just a couple of remixers in America. It wasn't until C & C Music Factory came along that it was like, 'oh my gosh, we had these guys in the beginning!"
OUTRO
Had Mel not become unwell, and the original plan to release I'm The One Who Really loves You internationally had come to fruition, then who knows where this change in sound would have taken the sisters, and their careers. I'm The One Who Really loves You was certainly a less comfortable musical progression than That's The Way It Is, which eventually became Mel & Kim's forth single release, but it presumably would have opened a lot of doors in the States, due to the American mixes produced by Robert Clivillés.
As journalist Marc Andrews recalled, "I remember a giggly Mel insisting she was feeling better than ever, and that she couldn't wait to work on their second album. They planned to take it in a much more 'house music' direction, influenced by the US remix of I'm The One Who Really Loves You."
Whatever an international single release of the track would have brought, I'm The One Who Really Loves You would certainly have been an unexpected, yet interesting, single choice.
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